Ecopneus – Italian end-of-life tire (ELT) management organization – plans to raise tire dealer collections by up to 20%. This is in reaction to a message sent to Italy's EPR agencies by the Directorate General for the Circular Economy. The increase is in accordance with a directive that took effect on December 11, 2020.

"The objective is to stem the critical situation, on which we will immediately contribute our active contribution," said Federico Dossena, Ecopneus General Manager. "However, it is vital to get to work on tracking and controls in order to provide structural answers."

Previously, a circular from the Ministry of Ecological Transition in December 2020 required EPR agencies to collect a share of end-of-life tires larger than 15% relative to their legal targets in 2021, with the possibility of an increase to 20% with the new step. This solution addresses the continuous issue of ELT collection, which stems from the flow of illegally imported tires into the national aftermarket, which experts estimate to be at least 30/40,000 tons per year.

"We need to concentrate on structural solutions to the problem, including tire monitoring and control methods that can prevent market distortions induced by illicit tire flows," says the expert. Federico Dossena, General Manager of Ecopneus, stated.

"This is a difficult problem to which we have always responded efficiently, collecting over 130,000 tons of ELTs in excess of legal obligations over the last ten years."

The "Cambio Pulito" project, which began in 2015 with Ecopneus and included the other major EPR, trade groups of tire professionals and manufacturers of tires, and was coordinated by Legambiente between 2015 and 2019, was born out of this sense of responsibility.

The order intends to confront this likely natural crisis and to reduce the circumstance of the administrators specifically in certain Regions where the best criticalities are experienced (Liguria, Lazio, Campania, Sardinia, Calabria and a few spaces of Puglia, Basilicata, Valle d 'Aosta and Trentino-Alto Adige, to some degree answered to the Ministry by Ecopneus).

Ecopneus reports that considering the coming winter tire change, a top in arisings is not out of the ordinary.

The order intends to confront this seemingly natural crisis and to cut back the circumstance of the administrators specifically in certain Regions wherever the simplest criticalities area unit intimate with (Liguria, Lazio, Campania, Sardinia, Calabria and a number of areas of Apulia, Basilicata, Valle d 'Aosta and Italian region, to a point answered to the Ministry by Ecopneus).

Original press release: Ecopneus.